“A treasure hunt!  Just the thing!” Dick had said, and his brothers agreed with him.  The lads were filled with excitement over the prospect, and for the time being all thoughts of going to college were thrust aside.

From Mr. Rover it was learned that the treasure belonged to the estate of a Mr. Stanhope, who had died some years before.  Mr. Stanhope’s widow was well known to the Rover boys, and Dick thought that Dora Stanhope, the daughter, was the finest girl in the whole world.  There was also another relative, a Mrs. Laning—­the late Mr. Stanhope’s sister—­who was to share in the estate, and she had two daughters, Grace and Nellie, two young ladies who were especial favorites with Sam and Tom.

“Oh, we’ve got to find that treasure,” said Tom.  “Think of what it means to the Stanhopes and the Lanings.”

“They’ll be rich—­and they deserve to be,” answered his brother Sam.  It may be added here that the Rovers were wealthy, so they did not begrudge the treasure to others.

A steam yacht was chartered and a party was made up, consisting of the Rovers, several of the boys’ school chums, Mrs. Stanhope and Dora and Mrs. Laning and Grace and Nellie.  The steam yacht carried a fine crew and also an old tar called Bahama Bill, who knew the exact location of the treasure.

Before sailing it was learned that some rivals were also after the treasure.  One of these was a sharper named Sid Merrick, who had on several occasions tried to get the best of the Rovers and failed.  With Merrick was Tad Sobber, his nephew, a youth who at Putnam Hall had been a bitter foe to Dick, Tom and Sam.  Sobber had sent the Rovers a box containing a live poisonous snake, but the snake got away and bit another pupil.  This lad knew all about the sending of the reptile and he exposed Tad Sobber, and the latter, growing alarmed, ran away from the school.

The search for the treasure proved a long one, and Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber did all in their power to keep the wealth from falling into the hands of the Rovers and their friends.  But the Rovers won out in the quest and sailed away with the treasure on board the steam yacht.  The vessel of their enemies followed them, but a hurricane came up and the other ship was lost with nearly all on board.

“Well, that’s the end of Sid Merrick and Tad Sobber,” said Dick when he heard this news.  “If they are at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean they can’t bother us any more.”  But Dick was mistaken in his surmise.  It was true that Sid Merrick had been drowned, but Tad Sobber was alive, having been rescued by a schooner bound for London, and he was now on his way back to the United States, more bitter than ever against the Rovers, and with a determination to do all in his power to bring Dick, Tom and Sam to grief and gain possession of the money which he and his uncle had claimed belonged to them instead of to the Stanhope estate.